A couple of years ago I interviewed Keith Henry, President and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and we talked about the cultural diversity of North America and the amount of that diversity that has been lost. In Canada there are over 630 First Nation communities, linguistically and culturally diverse.
Keith explains that diversity is important in the modern world because “the memories that sit with us … are memories of the people … it is the people that bring us memories of place and name.” As Keith points out, diversity ” makes us excited to visit the world…. It is the original people and the stories of the land.” If the world becomes homogenous through globalisation, there is less reason to travel to experience the other.
Cultures are living things, they continue to evolve. As Keith reminds us, indigenous people own their culture, it is for them to decide how they want to share their culture, what is appropriate to share, and what to keep sacred and not to share. Guidelines and best practices are important to managing engagement with tourism, enabling communities to choose what to share.
First Nations are “not a petting zoo”, they seek “meaningful engagement.” Keith makes the point pithily: “If you want to work with us we need to do it in a way that makes sense…. It is not about us without us.” Make it a meaningful connection, increasingly that is what the tourist is demanding. Do it right and the returns are better.
A month or so ago, I enjoyed an Unseen Tours walk with Ben from Kings Cross to Clerkenwell, a part of London I thought I knew well. Ben opened my eyes with his knowledge of the history on those areas. But I don’t know it as Ben does. He describes his tour : “This part of London runs in the family, and is very close to my heart. We’ll embark on a journey off the beaten track and through the city’s layered history. We’ll get to know the big people and the little people, and look at how their paths have been crossing through the centuries. What was once a run-down area, King’s Cross has been transformed.”
If you are in London and have a couple of hours, book with Unseen Tours on one of their “Walking tours and experiences curated and led by people affected by homelessness.”
Ben, on the right, was my guide. The tours are not about homelessness and poverty. The guides have experienced homelessness. Like the others, Ben has a rich background – the bios of the guides are on the site. His bio on the site begins, “… a Londoner, born on Hyde Park Corner on the self-same-day Yoko Ono and John Lennon launched loads of white balloons into the air, in order to give peace a chance.” Ben has degree in English Literature and speaks French and Italian. His bio ends “I love good films, good food, hanging out with friends, walking on top of mountains or under trees.”
He is a great and very knowledgeable guide. Ben asked me where I came from and I replied Faversham. He then asked me about Simon of Faversham, I had no idea who he was talking about, and neither did all but one of the people I know in Faversham, and I might add that I chair the Faversham Society A quick check on Google revealed that Simon of Faversham ‘was a thirteenth-century scholar, mainly known as a commentator on Aristotle’s logic and natural philosophy.’
It was this experience that reminded of Henry’s words “It cannot be about us, without us.” And then Jayni Gudka, CEO at Unseen Tours, published this graphic on LinkedIn writing “We are clear that WE ARE NOT part of the poverty tourism agenda…. our tours are not tours of “the homeless” but, rather, with people who have experienced homelessness. Where issues of homelessness are touched, they can be heard directly and without filters by people who have experienced them.”
Storytelling and the importance of narrative in understanding and misunderstanding our world; we are a storytelling species. We have much to learn from Africa about storytelling and celebrating diversity.
The 2022 Charter on Responsible Tourism asserts these principles. Responsible Tourism
- Provides more enjoyable experiences for all, through more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local history and culture, and social and environmental issues;
- Offers culturally sensitive experiences engendering respect between tourists and hosts, and building local pride and confidence.
Culture belongs to those who live it. We should not turn it into a museum exhibit, that living cultures evolve. Keith so clearly nails it: “if it is about us, it must be with us, and it cannot be without us.”
